


honeyed smiles and hot glue (counselor AU! yamaguchi x reader)

by ronnie_ao3



Series: Camp Karasuno AU! [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Asking You Out, Cottagecore, Gardens & Gardening, Getting to Know Each Other, Summer Camp, Working Together As Counselors, camp counselor, soft vibes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:20:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25301494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ronnie_ao3/pseuds/ronnie_ao3
Summary: You've worked at Camp Karasuno for what feels like forever, and you couldn't be happier. Only recently were you paired up with a newer recruit, Yamaguchi, to help wrangle the kiddos. Working together has led the soft spoken-boy to have quite the crush on you, but do you feel the same way?
Relationships: Yamaguchi Tadashi/Reader
Series: Camp Karasuno AU! [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1831369
Comments: 1
Kudos: 43





	honeyed smiles and hot glue (counselor AU! yamaguchi x reader)

The morning dew was illuminated by the early sun's rays, dipping into their centers and causing the light to become fractal and shimmering. 

You were currently picking a few cone-flowers that had been sprouting off to the side of the clearing you were in, their pale pink a contrast against the lush green of moss-covered rocks. You smiled as you nestled them carefully in your basket, along with a few other treasures you'd found for the campers.

The rather vibrant red-and-yellow skirts of the blanket flowers took your breath away, and the Queen Anne's lace, so delicate and light, contrasted greatly with them. You were quite a flower enthusiast, and couldn't wait to help the kids with the day's specially-chosen craft project.

Of course, Camp Karasuno had an on-site garden, a localized center where the campers could look after all sorts of plants and flowers with their designated counselor (if you remembered correctly, Asahi was the counselor in charge of the garden). He had quite the green thumb, and you helped him garden from time to time, when your campers were busy with Yamaguchi.

Anyway, Ukai, the co-director, had asked you to get them from the surrounding forest before camp started, and not from the garden. The main message: don't pick their flowers.

"Takeda wants the campers to have complete autonomy over the garden." He had said, giving you a shrug that said 'just do it'. You didn't mind showing up early for the kiddos, and you always enjoyed a walk through the forest. 

It really amazed you, the way Camp Director Takeda was able to find a clearing large enough to house the summer day camp; in the middle of the woods, no less! It's as though it was made for it, and Takeda encouraged everyone to take care of and nurture the environment surrounding. It really was an amazing camp, you never had a dull moment, and learned something new every day.

"Hey, wait up!" You heard a voice not too far off, and turned to face it. Whoever it was must have spotted your bright white 'Camp Karasuno' shirt, it was lucky they caught you before you went too far into the forest. 

Yamaguchi entered the clearing, pushing aside a bush to get through. He sported a woven basket like your own, and you smiled at him.

"Sorry, Tadashi. I didn't know you'd be joining me this morning." 

A dusting of pink crossed his cheeks, and you approached him, showing the contents of your basket.

"Look what I found!"

Yamaguchi couldn't help but adore the way your face lit up as you told him the names of each flower and what they symbolized and how they could be natural remedies for various conditions.

"And when you crush up the cone-flower you get this extract, which has been really successful in boosting the immune system!" You said excitedly, before turning and leading him out of the clearing, further into the woods. 

All Yamaguchi could do was smile at your back, just happy to be a part of this morning's walk. He'd been paired up with you at the beginning of the summer, when Ukai had realized the 8-year-olds were a much larger group compared to last year. It was a two-counselor job, so he'd put you, a more seasoned counselor, with Yamaguchi, a rather new recruit. 

Both being rather empathetic, you and Yamaguchi had instantly gotten off on the right foot, becoming fast friends. Yamaguchi would be lying if he said that the last few weeks of corralling campers, setting up activities, and running errands with you hadn't led him to have something of a crush. Being a camp counselor was already the highlight of his rather empty summer, but the time you guys spent alone at the beginning and end of the camp day was what Yamaguchi truly looked forward to.

He had a deep respect for you. You were kind, and had a smile that made him weak in the knees, and your eyes were full of a slow-burning intelligence. You almost reminded him of Tsukishima in that way, his best friend (who was in charge of wrangling the 4 and 5-year-olds with Suga's help - another rookie/seasoned duo Ukai had thrown together at the last minute). However, it was only in the way you analyzed the world around you that Yamaguchi compared the two of you.

"Oh, wow! Look at those cosmos!" 

You were pointing to an almost-hidden patch of beautiful magenta and orange blossoms. The pair of you had to crawl to get to them, scooting through the dirt, but the look on your face was worth it. Yamaguchi would have climbed the tallest tree if it meant getting hold of your favorite flower for you.

"T-They're really pretty." Yamaguchi said softly, unable to take his eyes off of you. 

The pair of you continued hunting for flowers until it was time to head back to open the camp. You two strolled back, running into Kageyama on the way back. Yamaguchi greeted him, and the raven-haired boy nodded back. He was looking at a map, likely getting ready to set out on a nature hike with his campers. He had been stuck with the 12 and 13-year-olds, who were just as persnickety and angst-ridden as he was. Honestly, they were probably put together on purpose, their negative energy cancelled out.

Kageyama likely wasn't looking forward to taking those snotty kids into the woods, but at least it would tire them out. 

You and Yamaguchi made it to the front of the camp building, with its low roof and lengthy sides. It was rather large, as it held the varying classrooms for each age group of campers, which ranged from young toddlers to mid-high school students. While some of your counselors were still in their last year of high school, the majority were in college. That last thought made you wonder something.

"Say, Tadashi, are you guys still in high school after all?" You asked, puzzled. You could've sworn that he, along with Tsukishima, Hinata, and Kageyama, were still in high school. You, yourself, were in college as a sophomore.

Yamaguchi flushed.

"N-No, we're all freshmen in college."

"Really? I could've sworn you guys were younger."

The kind-faced boy laughed.

"Nope, we're almost as old as you!" He said, poking fun at you in that gentle way of his. 

You bumped shoulders with him in a playful way, and crossed the threshold of your classroom. The campers would be arriving soon, and while the room was spic and span already, you two still had to set up the day's activities. For the most part, your kids were easy; they often chose 'play pretend' games over fundamental crafts. You just knew that this flower crown craft would enthrall them, and you couldn't wait to start.

Setting down your baskets of flowers on a wooden table, you grabbed the clipboard off the wall by the open door, signing in officially. Yamaguchi signed it after you, glancing over the names of your guys' campers. It would be a good day, you had a good group.

When he looked back over at you, you had moved to the supply cabinet, and were currently pulling out all manner of useful items. Yamaguchi walked over, coming up behind you.

"Anything I can help with?" He asked. You turned to smile at him, gesturing at the basket of hot glue materials you'd withdrawn.

"Yeah, thanks! Could you set up the hot glue station at the counter? One of us will help the kids hot-glue their projects. Of course, hopefully the flowers can be woven into the base of their crowns, but if worse comes to worst, hot glue's the solution."

Yamaguchi chuckled.

"Sounds good." 

He carried the basket to the counter and began unpacking it, inserting a new stick of solid glue into the glue gun and plugging it into the wall socket. You watched him, not out of fear he would hurt himself, but out of a careful admiration. Yamaguchi had kept up really well with you until now, always eager to learn and adapt to whatever you or the campers threw at him.

You'd grown quite fond of him, actually. It had been easy, really. He was just such a pleasant guy, you were sure it wasn't just you who had instantly meshed so well with him. 

"Oh hey, what are your plans this weekend?" You asked him out of curiosity. He jumped, spinning around with a blush on his cheeks. 

"U-Uh..." He started, stuttering a bit. You just looked at him, that oblivious quality in your face. Realizing you hadn't been asking him out, Yamaguchi cleared his throat, slightly embarrassed.

"N-Not much, I think Tsukki wanted to check out the Science Center on Sunday, they have this new dinosaur exhibit." He said, reddening. It probably seemed lame that he'd be going to a science museum. To his surprise, you brightened.

"Whoa, that's so cool! I bet you guys will have a great time." You said warmly, smiling at him before returning to your task. He blinked, quite taken aback.

Yamaguchi was about to ask what you were up to this weekend when a trail of kids entered the classroom, equipped with backpacks and sun hats. You immediately went to them, helping them take off their gear and tucking it safely away in the cubbies. The dark-haired boy softened at the sight of you and the campers, it was a sweet moment.

Half of Yamaguchi had wanted to ask you to coffee or something, get to know each other more. Not having gotten the opportunity, his brain used that extra time to chew over the idea and ultimately shoot it down. You probably wouldn't be interested, he told himself. Just because you were single didn't mean that he would be appealing to you in the slightest. 

He sighed, walking over to finish the task you'd started of sorting the flowers on a tray for the kids to select. 

At least he got to hang out with you at camp.

\---

The morning stretched on lazily, turning into afternoon as the sun reached its highest point in the sky above.

As expected, the flower crowns were a hit with the campers. Everyone wanted one, and you found yourself up to your neck in demands for pretty crowns of pink and purple; thank goodness you'd picked a fleet of colorful flowers that morning, and thank goodness Yamaguchi was there to help you appease the kids.

Truly, you wouldn't have been able to handle the hoard without him. 

"How's this?" The boy asked, holding up an extravagantly crafted flower crown. The girl who'd requested it squealed happily as Yamaguchi placed it gently on her little head. You couldn't help a warm smile crossing your face at that sight, it was just so adorable.

The little girl ran off to show her friends, who all sported equally colorful flower crowns.

"You're really good at this." You said, causing Yamaguchi to look over at you. He flushed slightly.

"Making flower crowns?" He asked, laughing.

"Just being a counselor in general. I'm glad you're here." You said seriously, smiling at him.

"Oh, thank you." He said softly, picking up more twine and beginning to thumb together a base for the next flower crown. You were glad he was there? Butterflies ricocheted against the walls of Yamaguchi's stomach, and his heart fluttered nervously. At this rate, he'd get a heart murmur.

Maybe you _would_ want to go to coffee with him, Yamaguchi thought to himself. Working up the courage to ask, he took a deep breath and opened his mouth. It couldn't hurt to ask. At that moment, however, one of the more senior counselors strolled into the classroom, calling your name and waving.

"Oh, Asahi! How's it going?" You asked, putting your half-finished flower crown down and standing to greet him. Yamaguchi sighed quietly, glancing back to his project. Not the right time.

The tall, long-haired man gave you a small smile, and the butterflies in Yamaguchi's stomach turned into lead. 

"Pretty good, thanks. I was going to see if you could help me with the snap peas, they're getting pretty jumbled." Asahi said, still smiling at you, which soured Yamaguchi's mood instantly. You'd be going to help Asahi, and not stay here with him. He just knew it.

"Uh, I might be able to!" You said, turning to Yamaguchi, who quickly forced a smile on his face. 

"Is it alright if I leave you with the kids for fifteen minutes?" You said, and Yamaguchi resisted the urge to frown. It was a fair request, he _was_ a co-counselor for your group, after all.

"Y-Yeah, sure!" He said, trying to sound reasonable and enthusiastic. You loved gardening, it would be a nice break for you to go off with Asahi. Still, he couldn't help but feel a jealous twinge towards the taller, overall more attractive man.

Compared to Asahi, Yamaguchi felt like a puny skeleton of a man. Sure, he'd gained some muscle since high school, and he'd grown a few inches, but when you put him next to Asahi, it didn't really make a difference.

You smiled.

"Thank you! I'll be back soon." And with that, you stood and left the room, giving him a reassuring thumbs-up. 

You had already disappeared, but Yamaguchi shot a half-hearted thumbs-up towards the empty doorway anyway. He turned to face the campers, who were doing just fine on their own, playing various games and keeping themselves busy. A couple stared at him, before running over to demand a flower crown. 

Yamaguchi supposed it made sense, you and Asahi. He could actually hold an educated conversation with you about your passion: plants. Yamaguchi couldn't hold a candle to the brown-haired, beard-sporting man; the best he could do was nod along and agree with your talking points about flowers. He'd even read up about botany, spent hours in the library researching it, and tried to comprehend its complexities.

It was a difficult subject, a very intricate science. Yamaguchi had a basic understanding, but it was nothing compared to Asahi's wide range of knowledge. 

Ah, well. It's not like you would've wanted him anyway, Yamaguchi thought glumly, weaving some yellow daisies into the crown base, per one of the campers' requests. The boy frowned as he realized the stalks were too skinny to stay firmly in, they kept flopping around. How frustrating.

Yamaguchi scowled at the limp flowers, before a light bulb went off in his head. The hot glue!

Taking a quick look at the campers, who seemed just as safe and preoccupied as they were before, Yamaguchi stood and walked across the room to the plugged-in glue gun. This should do the trick, he thought. 

And sure enough, it did. The flowers were steadfast in their glued-on positions, and Yamaguchi smiled at his work. You'd have been proud, if you were there to watch him problem-solve like this. He loved it when you complimented him, as much as his insecurities crippled him. 

It was reassuring, being reminded that you're important and useful. That wasn't what drew him to you in the first place, but it was a huge bonus. You were so kind, to everyone, and there didn't seem to be a bad bone in your body, so to speak.

Man, Yamaguchi could spend all afternoon listing off what he loved about you, daydreaming about holding your hand, and even planning your future together. One might go so far as to call him smitten.

The minutes trickled by, and Yamaguchi slowly made more flower crowns. A couple times, he had to break up a kid-fight, which would be about who got to play with what toy, of course. Even older kids had a problem with sharing, but Yamaguchi did his best to resolve the spitfires.

Glancing at the clock, the dark-haired boy furrowed his brow. It had been half an hour since you left. 

Huffing, Yamaguchi returned his gaze to the fourth flower crown he had made in that half-hour. You said you'd only be fifteen minutes, how long could detangling snap peas possibly take you? 

Face falling, he started to think of the worst. That maybe Asahi had made a move on you, and that you two were happily chatting away in the garden, planning the rest of your lives together. Sadness seeped into Yamaguchi's heart, and he felt tears spring to his eyes. Maybe it was for the best, he thought to himself. You'd be happier with Asahi.

He continued to spiral as the time passed, until camp was finally over, and there was still no sign of you. Yamaguchi helped the kids get their backpacks on, making sure they brought their flower crowns with them. Only when the last camper left through the door with their parents did Yamaguchi finally leave the room, off to find and confront you.

He walked quickly down the hallway, passing Tsukki on the way. The blond had, incidentally, been on the way to find Yamaguchi, and halted in his tracks, watching as he stomped by and out of sight.

Tsukki blinked, slightly shocked. He didn't think he'd ever seen the smaller boy so angry. 

Shrugging, the blond put his hands in his pockets, continuing down the hall. Yamaguchi seemed to be on a mission, Tsukki would just text him later.

The dark-haired boy hadn't even seen his best friend, his tunnel vision was so concentrated. What could you and Asahi possibly be doing that would cause you to ditch him and your campers for hours? Swinging round the corner, the garden was suddenly in view, and he made a beeline for it.

Yamaguchi instantly spotted the two of you, side by side. You were both on your knees, bent over a raised garden bed, fumbling around with something out of sight. Undeterred, the boy stomped up to you two, ready to unleash hell.

"Where the h-" He started, but you looked up at him and cut him off.

"I'm so sorry, Tadashi. Asahi needed help replanting some pumpkin sprouts, and then one task turned into three more, and I lost track of time." You said, looking genuinely sorry. You stood, taking off your green gardening gloves and turning to Asahi, who spoke.

"Sorry for keeping her so long, Yamaguchi. She was a great help." He said, smiling at Yamaguchi kindly.

Yamaguchi narrowed his eyes, not gracing him with a response. Instead, he grabbed your hand and led you back towards the classroom. You went willingly, not sure what had gotten into him.

"T-Tadashi? Are you alright?" You said as he pulled you into your classroom, shutting the door behind him. 

He let out a sigh before turning to face you, desperation in his eyes.

"Do you like Asahi?" He asked, insecurities bubbling to the surface. You blinked, utterly confused. Did you like Asahi? 

"Yeah, of course," you started, and Yamaguchi fought the urge to yell to the heavens in frustration, "he's a great friend."

That last bit caused Yamaguchi to stop, staring at you. 

"Just a friend?"

"Well, yeah." You said, giving him an 'are you crazy?' look. "What's your deal? You seem really flustered." 

He blushed at your words, realizing what an idiot he was. You caught on, suddenly letting out a soft laugh at his sheepish expression.

"Did you think Asahi and I were romantically involved?" You asked, punching him on the shoulder. He shrugged, looking at the ground.

"M-Maybe."

"But, how could I like Asahi when I like you?!" You exclaimed, a pink blush creeping up your face. Because, see, that was what you had spent so much time with Asahi doing. Talking about your feelings for Yamaguchi. It could't be avoided any longer, and going to Asahi for advice seemed like the best course of action.

The gentle gardener had offered the best words of wisdom: "the present moment is all you ever have." 

You had raised an eyebrow at him, but after digesting it, had realized the message. If you enjoyed spending time with Yamaguchi so much, then it was a good idea to take things further while you had the opportunity.

Yamaguchi's jaw dropped, and you rubbed the back of your neck.

"I-I mean, I just realized it today. It's totally cool if you don't feel the same way, I'm sure you like someone else-" You were cut off as Yamaguchi spoke quickly.

"N-No, I actually have the same feelings for you, though I realized it weeks ago." He said, a genuine smile breaking across his kind face. Your eyes widened, and you felt your brain short-circuiting. He...liked you back?

"O-Oh..." was all you could manage.

Yamaguchi steeled himself to finally ask you.

"Would you...want to go to coffee with me tomorrow?" He asked, eyes scanning your face for any sign of rejection and finding none. You seemed to glow as your face brightened, nearly blinding him.

"Yes, I'd like that." You said, trying to keep your cool as you felt waves of excitement rolling over you.

Yamaguchi was so happy, he could kiss you. He didn't, because it seemed too soon, but instead closed the distance between you and gave you a tight hug. 

You were surprised by it, but quickly melted into his strong grip, squeezing him lightly.

The dark-haired boy's next words nearly melted your heart.

"I'm so glad."

**Author's Note:**

> Who doesn't love Yamaguchi? Such a sweetie, honestly. 
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed, and leave a nice comment if you feel like it! :D


End file.
